


climb the walls

by courageous_boss



Series: you've always loved the strange birds [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-09 00:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17396642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courageous_boss/pseuds/courageous_boss
Summary: Dick comes home.





	climb the walls

The hand closing around his neck is strong and meaty and the panic in Dick’s chest grows. It had been a simple plan: the people who minded the cart near the bar were negligent, all he had to do was swipe some vegetables and if he was lucky, a bread roll. He’d been close. The warm corn cob he’d stashed inside his shirt was still pressing against his skin and the scrap of bread he’d taken for Scumpo was jammed in his pocket. All he had to do now, was get away from the gorilla of a man who’d caught him.

“Gypsy, kid, eh,” foul breath pushes into Dick’s face. “Stealin’ from superiors.”

Dick struggles around. The man is crushing his windpipe.

“Don’ kill the kid,” a woman’s voice. “Don’t need tha’ kind ah trouble.”

Immediately, the man releases him and Dick crashes to the ground. His eyes burn and his lungs feel like they’ve been turned inside out. But there’s a grimy hand coming towards him again, so he rolls out of reach and bolts. There’s angry shouting and heavy footsteps coming after him, but Dick’s smaller and stealthy. He outruns them easily, ducking through the alleys and following the slimy, wet walls to a place that only he knows.

The carved-out area in the wall must have been intended for garbage disposal, and Dick had used that to his advantage. It had taken a few days, but he’d piled up discarded crates and boxes to hide the nook. He crawls passed them into his secret hiding place, grinning at the wagging tail and the happy eyes peering at him. Sucmpo’s curled up on the blanket, fury tail squirming around now that she’s gotten sight of Dick.

“Hey, girl,” Dick sits, laying his legs out so that the dog can shifts over, resting her heavy head on his thighs. “Missed me?”

She licks at his fingers, nudging at his hand until he indulges her requests for a head scratch. He offers her the meager bread he’d gotten, giggling softly as she gobbled it up hastily. “I’m sorry I didn’t get more.”

She looks up at him, eyes full of love and understanding and _I’m just happy to have you here_. Dick smooths his hand through her dirty fur, pulls the corn from his shirt and slowly picks the edible parts off. Sucmpo’s learned not to beg for his food by now, just presses in closer to the boy she’d claimed and lets her eyes shut close. Dick settles in for a nap of his own, resting up for his plans for the night.

 

* * *

 

Dick had found the Manor two nights after he’d awoken in the deadbeat, abandoned building in Gotham, near the docks. He’d woken with a massive headache and an empty stomach and no sense of where he was. It was Gotham City, or, at least, some strange version of it. The air was dirtier, the wind blew colder, the buildings had long since been overdue on their next paint job and – _the people_. They were nasty and mean and scorned when he’d asked for help. No one spoke of the Flying Graysons and Batman’s name was absent as well. Sucmpo had found him rooting through the garbage for something to eat – he was so, so hungry – and while she’d had nothing to offer, she’d lurked in the shadows, growling at any critter who tried to get close to whatever Dick had scavenged.

The Manor was on the outskirts of Gotham, hidden in the bushes and unruly trees, and had taken a full day’s walk to get to. Dick had been starving and cold and was ready to let Alfred bundle him in a blanket and tuck up under Bruce’s arm while the man worked. He was willing to forget that he’d seen no evidence of either man looking for him because they were busy and inexperienced at taking care of little boys. They probably didn’t know that Dick was supposed to be home at nights. He’d explain it to them when he was fed.

However, when he’d gotten to the Manor, legs aching and Scumpo panting tiredly at his side, he’d realized that this Gotham was not _his_ Gotham. After some careful observation, two teenage boys, a brute of a dog, three women, an occasional appearance of Alfred and no sight of Bruce, Dick realized that something was wrong. He couldn’t be dreaming because he could still remember his parents’ fall and children’s parents didn’t die in dreams – they just didn’t. So, Dick supposed that he must have been like Alice. He’d fallen down the rabbit hole into a world that looked like his and felt like his, but definitely wasn’t.

There is no Batman in this world. There is something called a Red Hood and a Red Robin. And, there is a Superman hadn’t visited. Not even once. This isn’t a Gotham he wants to be a part of. Worse yet, it doesn’t seem like this Gotham wanted him there all that much either.

Still, he is Robin and Batman was gone, missing, vanished. Dick never lets his mind wander too far down that path, can't bear the possibilities laying there. Instead, he focuses on concocting a mission plan. It’s only four days of planning before he puts Operation: Find Bruce into action.

Scumpo comes along – she comes everywhere with him – and they check the perimeter. There’s been an obvious change in security because Dick doesn’t trip a single alarm. He wishes he could chalk it up to his impeccable spy training, but even he can admit that he’s not that good. The only explanation is that there are no alarms for him to trip. The realization rattles him more than he anticipates.

“Come on, girl,” he tugs gently on Scumpo’s neck, scratching encouragingly at the place between her shoulder blades that often makes her boneless with pleasure. “You’ve got to keep up.”

She’s doing her best, he knows she is, but she's old and hungry. She doesn’t have much energy in her bones and Dick’s chest aches when he thinks about how much longer she’ll last out on the streets.

Scumpo butts his knees softly, tail wagging softly. She’s saying, _Go on, I’m right behind you_.

So, Dick trudges forward, ensuring he’s properly concealed in the darkness of shadows and bushes. He slinks along to the super-secret entrance to the Batcave that he and Bruce had made, making no noise that couldn’t be mistaken for the wind’s disruption.

Again, Dick’s feels a cold, hollow feeling at how easy it is. There’s no extra booby traps, no new paths. There’s no evidence that any time had passed while he’d been away. If Bruce hadn’t been relentlessly trudging to and fro the Batcave… Dick couldn’t imagine what he’d been doing.

The pain at the back of his neck starts suddenly. There’s no warning. No sign of his attacker. It just blossoms, stealing his vision and making his limbs heavy. He’s on the ground before even a second has passed. He feels nothing, just a dull, helpless numbness. He’s never experienced anything like this before. It’s eerie and cold, clutching at him so tightly that he can't even think to fight against it.

Still, it’s better than the nothingness before. At least there’s still someone guarding the Cave. As Scumpo’s wet, rough tongue nudges worriedly against his neck, Dick feels hope and longing blossoming in his chest. He’s waiting. Waiting for Bruce to come, frowny and annoyed, and scoop him up. He wants to hide away in the thick, heavy material of his cape while he lectures him. While Bruce goes on and on about how inappropriate his disappearance had been, Dick would curl into his warmth.

Then, maybe. He’d remember. Something. Anything. Everything.

But it’s not Bruce who comes. It’s not Bruce who shoots Scumpo with a similar dart. It’s not Bruce who looms over his body. It’s not Bruce who collects him. It’s not Bruce who finally picks him up.

As Dick’s eyes close, he can't stop the tears that well up behind them.

This man – he doesn’t know who he is. But, it doesn’t matter. It’s just. It’s not Bruce.

**Author's Note:**

> Scumpo means sweetheart/dear in romani. She's twice Dick's size and big and strong and menacing and very protective. She's a total sweetheart.


End file.
